Antibiotic Use in Poultry: A Driving Force for Organic Poultry Production

Antibiotics are used in poultry production not only for therapeutic purposes; some producers also administer sub-therapeutic dosages for growth promoting purposes, and residues can be detected in eggs and poultry meat if proper withdrawal protocols are not followed. Furthermore, zoonotic bacteria may acquire resistance to antibiotics as a result of administration of sub-therapeutic dosages. Consumers perceive organic meat as a more healthful food because the birds are not raised with antibiotics, and this is a primary reason why consumers purchase organic poultry products, driving sales of organic poultry meat and eggs, which increased 151% over a 1-year period (1999 to 2000) and which have continued to increase since 2000. In response to this consumer demand, large conventional poultry-producing companies have launched “raised-without-antibiotics” lines of products. This review aims to discuss organic poultry-production and the impact of antibiotic use in conventional production systems on consumer perception and purchase of organic poultry products.